The final round of confrontation between the two candidates for the United States presidential election

Trump and Biden exchanged views on issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, Russian interference, the economy, the environment and racism in the final presidential debate. The second confrontation between the two took place in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the US presidential election, expressed their views on specific issues such as the fight against COVID-19, possible Russian interference in the election, the economy, the environment, immigration and racism in the final round of the election debate. The two-man debate, which took place on Thursday evening (October 22) in Nashville, Tennessee, was quieter thanks to the mute button.

Joe Biden once again criticized Trump for his careless handling of the coronavirus pandemic: “Someone who is responsible for so many lives should not remain president of the United States.” He said that despite the approaching “dark winter,” the president has no plan to deal with the coronavirus.

Trump, in turn, praised his administration's performance and expressed optimism that the United States would soon emerge from this crisis. According to him, the coronavirus would soon disappear and the pandemic would come to an end. He once again blamed China for the spread of the pandemic, saying: "It's not my fault that [the virus] got here, it's China's fault."

He accused Biden of planning to shut down the entire country, which would have “terrible consequences.” He said that shutting down the country would lead to job losses and increased suicides.

Biden responded that he did not intend to shut down the country, but would try to fight the coronavirus more effectively. He said that many victims of the pandemic died because of the president's incompetence.

Health and treatment policy

Biden attacked the Trump administration’s policy on universal healthcare. Trump accused Democrats of wanting “socialist healthcare.” He stated that he intends to dismantle the entire health insurance and medical care system that the Obama administration put in place and replace it with a “beautiful, new healthcare system.”

Biden responded that every citizen should have the right to access healthcare facilities and that this demand has nothing to do with socialism.

Relations with North Korea

Trump claimed that his foreign policy towards North Korea had been very successful. He said that he had managed to prevent a war with North Korea, which could have resulted in the deaths of “millions of people,” through initiatives.

He said that former President Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden left him a “dirty legacy” on North Korea that he has been trying to address. Biden accused the president of trying to justify the rule of North Korean “dictator” Kim Jong Un. He said that under Trump’s conciliatory policy, the North Korean “gangster” had enough time to successfully continue his nuclear program.

Biden noted that Trump's policy toward North Korea could make the country's leader a "Hitler-like" danger to the international community.

Discrimination and racism

Joe Biden, drawing attention to the continuation of racist structures in the United States, emphasized that there is no equality in this country, and Trump further exacerbated this inequality with his policies: "He poured oil on every racial conflict."

In contrast, Trump boasted that he had served black people more than any other president before him, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, and claimed, "I am less racist than anyone else in this room."

He said that police brutality against black Americans has been exceptional.

The second Trump-Biden election debate was generally more relaxed. Kristen Welker was the host and could mute any speaker with the push of a button if they broke the rules.

Source: DW